AFI's Top 10 Western Films

Movie Info
10 items
AFI's list of the ten best Westerns of all-time. All Western movies have flair but these got that extra something.
  • The Searchers
    1

    The Searchers

    John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Natalie Wood
    • Released: 1956
    • Directed by: John Ford
    In this revered Western, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) returns home to Texas after the Civil War. When members of his brother's family are killed or abducted by Comanches, he vows to track down his surviving relatives and bring them home. Eventually, Edwards gets word that his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) is alive, and, along with her adopted brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), he embarks on a dangerous mission to find her, journeying deep into Comanche territory.

    Available On:

    subscription

  • High Noon
    2

    High Noon

    Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Katy Jurado
    • Released: 1952
    • Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
    High Noon is a gripping tale of courage and duty set in the dusty streets of a small western town. The film's protagonist, Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper), is on the brink of retirement when he learns that a vengeful outlaw he'd once put behind bars is coming to seek revenge. Despite being abandoned by his friends and townsfolk, Kane decides to face the threat alone. This classic 1952 Western, directed by Fred Zinnemann, won four Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Cooper, epitomizing the genre's grit and moral complexity.
  • Shane
    3

    Shane

    Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin
    • Released: 1953
    • Directed by: George Stevens
    Enigmatic gunslinger Shane (Alan Ladd) rides into a small Wyoming town with hopes of quietly settling down as a farmhand. Taking a job on homesteader Joe Starrett's (Van Heflin) farm, Shane is drawn into a battle between the townsfolk and ruthless cattle baron Rufus Ryker (Emile Meyer). Shane's growing attraction to Starrett's wife, Marian (Jean Arthur), and his fondness for their son Joey (Brandon de Wilde), who idolizes Shane, force Shane to realize that he must thwart Ryker's plan.

    Available On:

    subscription

    free

  • Unforgiven
    4

    Unforgiven

    Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
    • Released: 1992
    • Directed by: Clint Eastwood
    Unforgiven, a multi-Oscar winning Western drama, showcases the final days of aging outlaw William Munny (Clint Eastwood). Once a notorious killer and robber, Munny is now a widowed pig farmer, living quietly with his two children. Persuaded by young gunslinger The Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) to claim a bounty on two cowboys who disfigured a prostitute, he teams up with his old partner Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman). As they embark on their mission, Munny grapples with the violence of his past and the harsh realities of frontier justice. This film explores themes of morality, redemption, and the brutal nature of violence.

    Available On:

    free

  • Red River
    5

    Red River

    John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan
    • Released: 1948
    • Directed by: Howard Hawks
    Headstrong Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) starts a thriving Texas cattle ranch with the help of his faithful trail hand, Groot (Walter Brennan), and his protégé, Matt Garth (Montgomery Clift), an orphan Dunson took under his wing when Matt was a boy. In need of money following the Civil War, Dunson and Matt lead a cattle drive to Missouri, where they will get a better price than locally, but the crotchety older man and his willful young partner begin to butt heads on the exhausting journey.

    Available On:

    free

  • The Wild Bunch
    6

    The Wild Bunch

    William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan
    • Released: 1969
    • Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
    The Wild Bunch, a seminal Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah, is a tale of an aging outlaw gang on the Mexico-US border. The gang's leader, Pike Bishop (William Holden), along with his second-in-command, Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine), navigates their crew through changing times and relentless law enforcement. As they attempt one last score, their loyalty and survival instincts are put to the ultimate test. This gritty and violent depiction of the Old West earned two Oscar nominations for its original screenplay and musical score in 1970.

    Available On:

    subscription